Outline of the topic
Being influenced by the works of Sophie Calle and Rirkrit Tiravanija I intent to investigate the notion of public and private through the actions of cooking, eating and sleeping. Calle with her work crosses private boundaries to explore the meanings which might be hidden there and exploits public spaces, investing them with a sense of intimacy. Tiravanija talking about his work has said ‘The situation is not about looking at art. It is about being in the space, participating to an activity. The nature of the visit has shifted to emphasize on the gallery as a space for social interaction. The transfer of such activities as cooking, eating or sleeping into the realm of the exhibition space put visitors into very intimate if unexpected contact; the displacement creates an acute awareness of the notion of public and private, the installations function like scientific experiments: the displacement becomes a tool and exposes the way scientific thought processes are constructed. The visitor becomes a participant in that experiment.’ (artist’s text in www.culturebase.net)
In connection to the works of the artists above what is important for my work is not what you see but what takes place between people, through different ways of interaction such as eating together around a dinner table or sleeping in the same room. Wanting to emphasise on the process rather than product of a performance I wish my work to unfold as I go through each stage of preparation and execution. Finally, I intent to carry out my performance research wherever I go in different cities around Europe as an attempt to blur and destroy the borders between life and art but also as an investigation on the differentiation of the limits between private and public spheres in different cultures.
Methodology
I intend to create different experiments based on my previous works on food and on sleeping. I will continue on my work on sleeping by inviting people to come and sleep in my house but also I will sleep in other people houses and in public spaces. My research on eating and cooking will be based on my current collaboration with Gemma Craddock on food performances in alternative spaces. In addition to this I will make a one week trip in 3 different countries in Europe during which I will create different environments based around food and sleep through which I will explore the areas that lay in between private and public spheres and I will encourage the interaction and communication between the participants.
On cooking and eating:
1) I will ask people in restaurants to let me eat with them in their table.
2) I will make one dinner in each country using traditional products from another country and I will invite my guests to cook with me.
3)I will cook with people in their place. For the documentation I will take videos of them while they are cooking focusing on their body movements rather than the food itself.
On sleeping:
1)I will sleep in other peoples’ bed entering by this way in their most intimate environment; I will share with them my dreams during that night as an exchange of intimacy. I will also ask them to give me something from their home and I will give them back something I have found in public places. For documentation I will take a photo of the different bedrooms with the two exchangeable objects and I will write down my dreams during that night.
